Due date in 6 days

My due date is in 6 days.

Most of my family thought we'd have an April baby, but as it is after 3 in the afternoon, I'm not feeling any things major, and we have 9 hours until the end of the April I'm fairly certain we'll have a May baby after all. It's just a question as to when in May.

I had a midwife appointment on Wednesday and all looked good. My blood pressure was 116/80 and his heart rate was nice and strong. He was also very wiggly and his head was bearing down which made it very uncomfortable. My midwife said that Silas has dropped and she wouldn't be surprised if he came this weekend. I'm hopeful, but not holding my breath. If he doesn't come over the weekend I'll have another appointment on the 4th.

If he did decide to come this weekend it would be great since my midwife is on call at the hospital this weekend and she would be able to attend the birth. Wishful thinking!

In the end, he'll come when he is ready to. I know I need to be patient but as my father likes to point out, patience is not one of my stronger attributes. Sure I have patience with my students and other people, but when it comes to something I want, not so much.

Josh and I are ready. Every day we rub my belly and tell Silas that he's good to go and that he can come out whenever he wants. We try to encourage him but will very little reaction. Its funny though because he does move and kick when he hears Josh's voice. Already he knows his daddy.

So maybe he'll be here this weekend... or maybe not... I hope that he is here before mother's day because holding my newborn on Mother's day would be the best feeling in the world. I couldn't imagine anything more special!

Then again, he is my child and if he is anything like me he'll be stubborn and make he entrance when he deems appropriate!

11 days and counting

We are only 11 days from Silas' due date. Its hard to believe that he could be here within a week, maybe two (or three, if he's feeling particularly stubborn).

I've been on maternity leave for a full week now and have everything finished that I wanted to get done. My entire nesting list is complete aside from general keep up with the house. I may scrub the kitchen floor and already the Tupperware cabinet is a mess again. I'm trying to keep up with laundry as well.

Josh is super busy trying to wrap up a class before Silas arrives but unfortunately starts another class right away. It's hard with me being home and him trying to stay focused. It's so easy to slip into a mode where all we want to do is hang out and be together. We've been spending a lot of time cuddling, laughing, and enjoying each other's time. We have been playing video games together, watching movies, and just being us.

We are so ready to make our family of two into three and know that with the change we'll have quite the adventure. We rub my belly throughout the day and whisper to Silas that he can come anytime he is ready. Every pain or surge of discomfort has Josh ready to gather us up in the car and head towards the hospital, but really there has been no signs of impending labour. I hope that changes soon though!

As much as I have enjoyed being pregnant, I'm ready to give birth. I'm ready for the experience and the journey. I'm also ready for the swelling to go away, and to be able to sleep on my stomach again not to mention for the heartburn to stop being so intense.

I'm sending positive thoughts to my body for it to prepare it self and to get the show on the road. Hopefully we'll have some news soon!

In my next post: pictures of Silas' finished nursery and 38 week belly bump pictures.

Nesting Projects

16 days to go until Silas' due date!

I started maternity leave this week and created a list of things I wanted to get done before Silas arrives.

Clean the Master Bedroom
Clean and organize the garage
Fold all clean laundry and put it away
Wash and put away baby laundry
Prep cloth diapers
Finish the nursery
Clean the hall closet
Clean and organize the random junk cabinet
Clean the fridge
Clean and organize the Tupperware/pots and pans cabinet
Keep up on all dishes, dusting, and vacuuming

If it's bolded, then it's been completed... if it's italicized then it's in the process.

Josh and I tackled the master bedroom over the weekend. I took care of cl earning off the dresser and side tables, stripping the bed and picking things up off the floor. Josh took care of vacuuming the room and we both moved the mattresses off the bed so we could vacuum under the bed. Thanks goodness for the Dyson. We emptied it at least 5 times just working under the bed. Needless to say we are banning the animals from the bedroom or will be investing in Ssscat cans to go under the bed to keep them from going under there. Not only does it get covered with cat hair, but they also shredded the fabric under the box spring. Once we got the room cleaned I went through and cleaned my closet. I donated clothes and shoes for goodwill and organized all of my non-maternity clothes.

On Monday my MIL came over and helped me with the garage. Mostly I observed and decided whether or not to keep, trash, or shred items and Donna did all of the heavy lifting and moving. We really got it looking nice! It's not scary looking when we go in it and the cars fit nicely and we can both get into the cars without bumping into stuff. The best part is we got it finished in less than two hours!

After Donna left I got started on folding our laundry and washing baby laundry. Both of those projects are done. I just need to put Silas' laundry away. It's all sorted though by size. He is in no need of clothes until he gets into 9 months. He has a handful of things and then pretty much nothing for 12 months and above, which is good because once it's his first birthday we can suggest clothes!

I started washing diapers last night. I got all of the inserts and prefolds washed and dried. Today I started on shells and covers. I hope to finish them either tonight or tomorrow.

The hall closet has been cleaned out and organized, although we have so much stuff in there we really can't put much else in there right now. I also got the junk cabinet cleaned out and organized last night. Now I know where everything is in there.

My other projects just take keeping up on or I'm just not in the mood to do it... like clean the fridge. It's not nasty, just needs a decent scrub down. I just don't feel like pulling it all out and doing it right now. I'll leave that for later.

So far so good! I hope that it all gets done before Silas arrives!

In non nesting projects....

Something I need to do is get the car seats installed! My hospital bag is packed and ready to go, although Josh really needs to put a bag together with some change of clothes and some snacks as I'm sure he won't want to eat hospital food. Now we just wait!

Hospital Tour

Josh and I went to the hospital today for our labor and delivery tour.

Of course we were late... this was after we had missed the first tour because I was so tired after church I needed a nap.

The website was very vauge about where it was and the woman at reception spoke so quickly that I didn't catch everything she said before she moved on to the next hospital guest. After aimlessly walking the halls a nurse helped us find the location. They were already a few slides into the powerpoint when we walked in.

After the power point we went on the walking tour. There was a woman there that was so pushy. She cut in front of me several times as if we all weren't going to see the same thing. Given my current hormonal level it took a lot for me not to say anything to her.

Overall I was pleased with what we saw. I had been to triage before so I knew what that looked like. The high risk delivery was a little scary and I hope that I don't have to go there or have a cecerean. The regular L&D rooms were nice though. They aren't anything spectacular, but they are private and I'll be there to labor, deliver, and recover. The couplet rooms were bigger and Silas will be with me the entire time. I have the option to send him to the nursery, but I want to keep him with me. Those rooms are private as well.

The Teddy Bear waiting area is a little small though and I hope our family will be alright down there. Right now my plans are to only have Josh with me during labor and delivery, but I may ask my mom to come at some point. I just know how overwhelmed I get and I really just want to stay in state of calm, at least as much as I can. Josh is good for that. He is the most level headed and calm person I know.

It's hard to believe that I'll be there not to far from now! There are only 18 days until his due date, so really I'll be there within a month.

Changes

Just making some simple changes to the blog...

Aside from the background and colors...

I had originally made this blog under a different GMail account so I would have to sign out and sign back in under another name... so I decided to fix that so I wouldn't have to do that anymore.

And I modified the title and description.

Also, even though Josh is a contributor, he never posts and leaves it to me to update, so I though I'd change the signature from the Willinghams to just my name.

Full Term

I'm full term this week!

I have comparison pictures from this week. In the black shirt I'm 36 weeks and 5 days and in the red I'm 37 weeks and 1 day.

Uncovered belly

vs

Covered belly

vs

I'm roughly standing in the same spot, and maybe I see a small difference, but I'm not sure.

I'm amazed that we are so close to meeting Silas. He could be here in three weeks... or sooner... or maybe even a little later. I wish I knew when he'd be here!

Today was my last day at work though, which will give me lots of time to do the final touches on his room, wash his laundry, prep diapers, and clean the house.

Leaving was a little bitter sweet. I love my students and I enjoy my colleagues. It will be strange not waking up and getting ready for work for the next year. Josh and I decided I should take a year leave of absence and we would become an one-income family. I've never not worked. When I turned 16 I had two jobs while I went to high school and when I went to college I worked at the movie theater and the night desk at my dorm on top of taking a full course load. I had a job lined up before I even graduated college and I've been working at the school ever since. Even during summer breaks I was working.

I know being a mommy will be a full time job in itself, but I wonder if it will bring me the same satisfaction as being a teacher has. Only time will tell and this time next year I can make the decision to go back to the school, or decline my contract.

I'm very excited to be at home though. I have so much to do it seems and not the right amount of time to do it in. My wonderful mother-in-law came over today on her day off and cleaned up the kitchen and all three bathrooms including floors. Walking into a clean house is such a good feeling. It takes off quite a few items off my to-do-list.

On Tuesday this last week I had another appointment with my midwife. My Strep B test came back negative and my blood pressure was good. On top of that the swelling was not as bad this appointment so it seems lowering my water intake into a more reasonable amount seem to have helped. Silas is still head down and it's any one's guess to when he'll come.

I also attended a breastfeeding class this week. It was informative. I plan on using a lactation consultant while at the hospital and will be contacting another one outside of the hospital if I need one. I have high hopes for breastfeeding and hope that Silas and I can learn together!

My next appointment will be when I'm 38 weeks (Thursday). My normal midwife is not available on Tuesday so I'll be seeing the midwife who attended to me when I was seen at L&D triage at 32 weeks. I'm sure it will go well. I felt very at ease with her even though I was in a stressful and freaked out situation.

Other than that my week is going to be full of prepping and relaxing. Something I'm looking forward to!

Only a month until my due date!

Today is April 6th. My due date is exactly one month from today.

Will Silas be a May baby or will he decide to come early and be an April baby?

I don't know... no one know except for Silas. He'll come when he is ready, although I secretly hope that he is hear before May 9th, which is mother's day.

I would love to be a mommy on mother's day. I know that I'm already a mommy even though he isn't here yet, but to hold my son on mother's day would be wonderful. It would also be nice if he were here before my birthday which is on the 12th of May.

If he isn't, that is o.k. too. When he decides to come will be the day he is suppose to be here.

I've been having a lot of discomfort though. I'm really swollen, and its not just at the end of the day. Sometimes I wake up swollen. I'm also having period-like cramping and pressure in my pelvis not to mention back pain.

I had an appointment with my midwife today... I'm now on weekly visits with her.

While she was checking Silas' heart rate she said I was contracting. I've noticed my stomach getting tight and hard, but I just thought it was Silas pushing against my belly because I feel no pain or discomfort with it... but apparently it's Braxton Hicks.

As for the cramps and pressure, she said that is normal and my body is preparing for the big show. I need to begin timing them. If they last for more than a minute, and occur every four minutes for an hour then I need to call and then head into L&D. However she also said that this could go on for weeks and try to relax and not stress out.

I talked to her about being so swollen and we talked about how much water I'm drinking in a day, which apparently might be too much... I own a 24oz Camelback bottle and drink 5-8 of them a day, which is 120-192oz a day. She said try to aim for 64-96oz and see if that helps. She also suggested warm baths and eating watermelon and asparagus (both which I love!)

Aside from that everything looks good. My blood pressure was 100/70, there was no protein in my urine, and that even though I've gained 5 pounds in the last two weeks, she thinks it has to do with my water retention. I'm not over eating, and I'm not over indulging. I'm eating small portions and they are generally very balanced.

I go back in a week and we'll see what happens.... but with my BP being so good and my urine tests fine she isn't very worried. She said Silas is going to be a healthy little guy and I need to focus on relaxing until he gets here.

Outside of talking about the now we talked about the labor. I spoke to her about the class we took and how it had me really worried because it was all about the worst case scenarios. She said that I need to write a birth plan, not focusing on what I don't want, but focusing on what I DO want. She also said that none of the midwives will use interventions unless it is absolutely necessary. I asked about cord clamping because I would like to wait for it to stop pulsing so that Silas receives as much iron and nutrients from the placenta as possible and she said non of the midwives clamp right after birth as long as there are no complications or signs of distress of the baby. Once he delivers they will place him on my chest, skin to skin, and then they will ask me if it's o.k. to clean him up. They will tend to him in the room and if they need to move him Josh will be able to go with him. I feel very comfortable with how things will go. She said that unless I tested positive for the Group B Step or have to have a Cesarean that I will only need to spend 24 hours in the hospital and then I can go home. We do however need to have a pediatrician and a car seat installed. We do not have a pediatrician yet, but will have one soon. We also already car seats, but they are not installed yet. I'm hoping my wonderful cousin, who is a firefighter and certified in car seats, will help us with that.

4-5 more weeks to go and he'll be there... things to do before then, in no particular order...

• Find a pediatrician
• Install car seats
• Wash all of the baby clothes
• Prep cloth diapers
• Pack a hospital bag
• Scrub house from top to bottom
• Fill out short term disability forms
• Attend breastfeeding class

And now for bumps photos...

35 weeks and 5 days

35 weeks and only 5 more to go?

I'm 35 weeks today! Only five more to go... maybe more, or maybe less.

I've had a busy week this last week including my baby shower! My mom, my sister, and both my wonderful mother-in-laws (Josh's mom and step-mom) helped throw it for me. 35 people attended, which was amazing!

I had a lot of fun talking with so many people.

We also announced the baby's name.....

Silas Alexander

We had so many wonderful gifts from the shower and now my living room looks like it could be a small scale Babies R Us, or another baby store! We have more than everything we could possibly need or want for Silas. Now I'm just waiting for him to arrive. I'm hoping he'll stay in place for at least another 3 weeks. My mom thinks he'll come in April, but I have no idea when he'll be here... when he is good and ready I'm sure!

This Saturday we have our birthing class and I'm looking forward to that. I have another appointment with my midwife on Tuesday, and then I start seeing her weekly. I can't believe I'm at weekly appointments already! Josh and I had a sneak preview of the hospital when we went to L&D triage three weeks ago, but we need to do an offical tour of the hospital. Unfortunatly they only do them on the first and third Saturday of the month. This Saturday is the first of the month, but we will be in our birthing class all day, so we'll have to do it on the 17th. That will be a busy week too. On the 14th I have a breastfeeding class, and the 16th is the field trip for my kindergarteners as well as my last day of school! I'm looking forward to maternity leave though. Silas has grown so much and I'm becoming very uncomfortable while at work. Only two more weeks though and I can focus on being at home and preparing for him!

And now for some pictures

Me with my sister, my mom, and my soon to be SIL

With my cousins

Chatting with friends

The cake, which was decorated with the critters from Silas' baby room decor

Opening baby gifts



Playing with baby toys.... there were so many more pictures of opening gifts so instead of posting all of them I posted the aftermath



My living room after we brought in all of the baby gifts

Baby gifts sorted on my table

And some belly pictures... 34 weeks and 4 days

And one more up close for good measures!